


i’ve been on my own (praying like a sinner)

by stardustgirl



Series: No Need for Open Roads [3]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: (He’s still in denial but), (more implied than anything), (not as much as before lol but), (so naturally I researched instead of studied), (y’all helped so much honestly thank you lol), Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternate Universe - Western, American History, Bandits & Outlaws, California, Cowboys & Cowgirls, Family Issues, Horses, Light Angst, Parental Kanan Jarrus, Phoenix Nest Discord, Pony Express, Prompt Fill, Sabine Wren Needs a Hug, Shapeshifting, Slang, Werewolf Reveal, Werewolves Turn Into Actual Wolves, researching for this AU helped me write a dbq for apush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24033940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustgirl/pseuds/stardustgirl
Summary: “There’s– there’s a wolf—”“Yes.I’m a werewolf, he’s a werewolf.  Got it?”Hesitant, she nods.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger & Sabine Wren
Series: No Need for Open Roads [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730470
Comments: 1
Kudos: 45
Collections: Quote Prompt Memes





	i’ve been on my own (praying like a sinner)

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [quoteonlyprompts](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/quoteonlyprompts) collection. 



> There's a lot of slang, and though some of it can be understood by context I'm unsure of what can and can't, so see the ending note for a list.
> 
> Prompt fill for “Bold of you to assume that you know anything about me.”
> 
> TW: Death Threat Toward Child, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Blood Mention, Referenced Period-typical Sexism

He’s in the middle of a change, after having been with Kanan for two months—two changes—since his secret came out when he gets wind of a rider coming.

He can smell them thanks to being changed, but that also means that he can’t tell Kanan. Instead, he finds the man outside, brushing a new horse that came through with its rider the day before. He whines, pawing at Kanan’s leg as the man turns. “What is it?”

He whines again, glancing out toward the path most of the riders take, and the pinto Kanan’s brushing stamps nervously and snorts. Kanan pauses for only a moment before getting the hint and freezing.

“Get inside,” he mutters, voice low. Ezra barks in understanding and turns, brushing back through the open door and sits just out of sight behind the door, a whine low in his throat as he watches through the gap.

The rider arrives only seconds later, but something’s wrong. He doesn’t _smell_ like an Express rider.

Kanan approaches him, holding the reins of the rider’s bay as he dismounts, and he’s about to hand the reins of the pinto he was brushing off to the rider. Ezra’s instincts are still on high alert as he finally realizes what’s wrong.

The rider smells like _blood._

He shoves back out the door, barking loudly. The rider’s horse spooks, kicking out and barely missing its rider’s head before it canters off. The pinto, in turn, rears and tries to pull away from Kanan’s grip, but he manages to keep hold.

“There’s a wolf!”

He doesn’t stop at the rider’s panicked cry, only when he pulls a gun. Ezra freezes, hackles raised as a low growl rumbles from his throat.

“No, don’t– don’t shoot him.”

“A karking _wolf_ just walked out of your house! Why would I _not_ shoot it?!”

“He’s my...my pet. My friend, he, ah, found him when he was a pup and raised him. Then he sold out when they hit gold in Aurora, so—“

“Okay, whatever. I don’t need your life story. I just need a new horse.”

“We need the _mochilla—_ “

“I can go catch that horse and get it back with the mail, but I need a new horse to do so.”

There’s a tense silence before Kanan hands the reins over and the rider takes them, tucking his persuader back into its holster. Ezra rushes him the minute his hands leave it.

He barks loudly and the rider turns back just as he tackles him, knocking him to the ground. “Ezra, get off of him!” he can hear Kanan yell, but he doesn’t listen. Something is _wrong_ with this rider, and he needs to figure out what.

“Get your karking wolf off of me before it claws my face off!” the rider yells, and Ezra yelps as a heavy boot hits him in the stomach and knocks him to the side. He remains there for a moment to collect his bearings, but when he does manage to get up, the rider has a gun leveled at his face again.

“Ezra, come on, let’s just go insi—“

Ezra’s ear flicks back to Kanan momentarily before he growls.

And bolts off into the woods.

* * *

Ezra hasn’t been back in the forest since that disastrous night he ran part of the Express route. It brings up too many memories, making his side ache and the stench of blood fill his nostrils along with the glint of a revolver pointed at his nose. But now, he _needs_ that. He _needs_ the scent of blood if he’s going to find the horse before that rider does.

And then he finds it.

It’s grazing near a creek, reins tangled on a tree whose roots encapsulate a good portion of said creek’s bank. When it sees him it snorts, eyes rolling as it tries to back up. He barks, growling in frustration as he tries to explain he just wants to see what’s in the _mochilla._ But, of course, his words only come out as a series of yips and he’s forced to quiet before the horse faints of fear. Grumbling to himself, he settles down to wait by the tree.

The rider arrives an hour or so later, sighing loudly at the sight of him. Ezra rises, moving between him and the grazing horse and growling until he gets the message. Sighing again and cursing Ezra under his breath, the rider moves to the run to wash his face. Ezra lets himself settle down to wait again, resting his head on his paws.

Night falls, and the rider starts a small fire. He glances up at Ezra, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna leave my horse alone, are you?” he questions, though his voice seems higher than before. Ezra chuffs in reply, rolling over to stretch out onto his side. The rider sighs, sitting back behind the fire and watching the flames dance with an unreadable expression.

“Your name’s Ezra, right, wolf?”

He raises his head, cocking it slightly in confusion. The rider gestures to him.

“Your name. It’s what your owner called you, I think. I don’t remember for sure though.”

He wants to nod, but he doesn’t want to tip him off to the fact that he’s _not_ a wolf, either. Instead, Ezra settles for returning his head to his paws again.

“My name’s Sabine.”

He looks up again at that, unable to help a quizzical rumble. Sabine’s a girl’s name—

“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Oh, they don’t let girls on the Express.’ ‘Oh, girls shouldn’t dress like boys, it’s not ladylike.’ Well I don’t care a continental about any of that.” He can’t help a chuff at her comment. Looks like they’re both hiding things from the rest of the world.

“I just...needed a way out, you know? Because Ketsu– Ketsu said they’d hire me if I told them I was an orphan, so I did, and then it turned out somehow Mother still got a hold of my money so I needed to just get something more valuable and leave, which is why I need that _mochilla._

“And I’m talking to a kriffing _wolf_ about my problems now. _Great._ ” She sighs, scrubbing her eye with a hand. “I’m going to bed, Ezra. I hope you’re gone in the morning, because I really need my horse back.”

She stands up, kicking dirt over the fire until it’s just cracklings left, and then lays down with her head on her arm. She must be used to sleeping outside, because Ezra hears her breath even out only a few minutes later. And at some point, he, too, drifts off.

* * *

He wakes to Kanan’s hand over his mouth, motioning for him to be quiet. The man passes him a bundle of clothes and removes his hand as Ezra, human again, rises and moves away to change. A quick glance over at Sabine reveals she’s still asleep.

When he returns, Kanan’s leaning against the tree Sabine’s horse is tied to. The bay snorts softly and Kanan rubs his muzzle until he quiets.

“She’s not a rider, not anymore,” Ezra whispers. “She told me she ‘got something better’ and left.”

Kanan nods, taking Sabine’s apparent gender in stride. “You wake her. I’ll keep her from getting to the horses.”

Ezra moves toward her silently, crouching and shaking her shoulder gently. It takes a minute, but suddenly she’s gasping and swinging a knife—a bloodstained one, he realizes; that must be where the smell came from—around as he stumbles backward, hands up.

“Whoa whoa whoa, easy, I wasn’t gonna hurt you—”

“Who are you?!” she yells, getting to her feet in seconds and putting her back to the tree as her gaze flicks between him and Kanan. “ _He’s_ the stationkeeper. But who in blazes are _you?!_ ”

“I’m Ezra.”

“That doesn’t help,” she scoffs. “I don’t _know_ an Ezra.”

“I was here yesterday, and last– last night. We know you aren’t a rider.”

Her gaze darkens. “There wasn’t an Ezra here last—”

He sees the moment it hits her. “You’re a kriffing _werewolf?!_ ” she screeches. “You’re a– a– a _werewolf?!?!_ ”

“Yeah, but—”

“Get _away_ from me I don’t want to be bitten by some _kriffing fice—_ ”

Kanan changes in a flash, his overcoat draping over him and the rest of his clothes and greatly lessening the intimidation factor as he growls. However, Sabine’s mouth still shuts with an audible click.

“Look, just give us the mail, and the horses, and the _mochilla,_ and whatever else you stole, and we won’t press charges. Promise.”

Sabine’s gaze, however, is still on the massive, reddish-black wolf. “There’s– there’s a wolf—”

“ _Yes._ I’m a werewolf, he’s a werewolf. Got it?”

Hesitant, she nods, shaking.

“Good. Now just give us the stuff that’s property of the Express, and—”

“No. I annexed it, and it’s mine.”

Ezra groans and Kanan growls. Jumping at the sound, Sabine quickly amends, “But– but I could probably think about giving it back.” Kanan sits back on his haunches at that, chuffing softly.

“Great. Uh...come back to the house with us, and we can discuss it?” He shoots a glance at Kanan and the wolf nods, tail thumping against the ground in approval.

“Fine,” Sabine sighs. Ezra allows a small smile to slip out as he moves to the horses, grabbing the reins of both before Sabine can. Kanan, meanwhile, trots back off into the woods to change, his too-big clothes trailing on the ground behind him.

Kanan returns a few minutes later, taking the pinto’s reins from Ezra. The small group starts back toward the station, and they remain silent for the trip.

Once the horses are put up, Kanan brings the mail inside and sets it at the door to add to the next rider’s load. He then joins the pair of teens sitting around the table, sliding into the chair next to Ezra.

“So. Tell us why you decided to steal from the Express.”

At Kanan’s words, Sabine almost looks like she’s going to keep quiet, but then she seems to think better of it. Sighing, she begins, “I had a friend who said the Express would hire me if I told them I was orphaned. And I...I needed the money, needed to get away from home. But somehow my mother—”

She breaks off, inhaling sharply and taking a moment to get herself under control before sighing and continuing. “My mother got wind of what I was doing, and– and she took my money. She said that the next time I was home, she’d make me quit. So I had to leave.”

“Why couldn’t you just go back to your family?” Ezra asks. “You should be able to. I bet they’re probably just trying to help—“

“Because they _weren’t_ great people. I...they weren’t. My mom just...I can’t. It’s _really_ bold of you to assume that you know anything about me, _or_ about them.”

“But they’re your _family—_ ”

“And that isn’t always enough for everyone, okay?!”

Her sudden shout is enough to quiet him. “Sorry,” he mumbles. Kanan nods for her to continue.

“I only hooked a couple plates. Promise.”

Kanan nods again. “Unfortunately, that’s still considered a crime. And the Express rules say that I, as a stationkeeper, have a responsibility to turn you over to the local sheriff in Masonic.”

“But I—”

He raises a hand, silencing her. “I’m not done. The _rules_ say that. _However,_ as I have no way of being able to tell for sure if you’re telling the truth about stealing them, the rules _also_ say I’m authorized to use executive decision making to handle uncertain cases in the unfortunate event that the bull is too far away to help in time. And considering that you’re sitting here already, I think he’s too far away.” Kanan smiles. “In exchange, I’m proposing this: you can live here, help Ezra and me out with the horses as payment, and you can go get a job in town or something in the meantime. You’ll be far enough out from your mother it’ll be okay, and I can just say that you and your horse never showed up. If she asks anyone, they won’t have the faintest idea where you are.”

“So you’re saying I should fake taking a blinder?”

Kanan nods.

Sabine doesn’t hesitate, reaching out to shake his hand immediately. “Welcome to the Express,” Kanan says, smiling warmly. “And, Ezra? Looks like you’re moving in with me.”

He groans sarcastically as Kanan laughs, ruffling his hair. Even Sabine cracks a slight smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Slang:
> 
> Persuader: gun  
> Fice: mongrel, mutt, just generally a dog that’s kind of wack  
> Annexed: stole  
> Hooked: stole  
> Bull: law enforcement  
> Take a Blinder: die/dead


End file.
